New Network Experience with All-photonics Network

The telecommunications industry constantly races to meet the ever-increasing demands for energy efficiency, improved data throughput, and faster response times. Rising reliance on digital connectivity prompts a visionary response from many standards development organizations (SDOs). Among these advances, one concept takes the spotlight: all-photonic networks.

What are all-photonics networks?

At the forefront of this revolution stands the IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) Global Forum, an SDO envisioning a comprehensive approach to telecommunications. The IOWN Global Forum aims to develop hardware, software, and service solutions that harness the potential of breakthroughs in both wireless and optical technologies. Central to this vision is the all-photonics network, a concept that leverages photonic-based technology to achieve three key performance objectives: significantly lower power consumption, enhanced capacity, and reduced end-to-end latency.

Potential use cases of all-photonics networks include:

• Ultra-realistic communication: Near real-time transmission of large data volumes enables immersive experiences through ultra-high-definition video streaming and virtual and augmented reality applications.
• Remote collaboration: Facilitating seamless communication and collaboration across global teams with minimal latency.
• Smart cities: Powering advanced sensor networks for real-time data collection and analytics to enhance urban infrastructure.
• Precision medicine: Supporting high-resolution medical imaging and remote surgery applications for precision healthcare.
• Decentralized data centers: Overcoming the challenge of finding large data centers centered in a single location relying on renewable energy to source their power.

The importance of photonics-electronics convergence technology

Intensive research and development is currently underway on the convergence technology of photonics and electronics, a key element in the realization of an all-photonics network. Innovations in this field include the introduction of new chips that seamlessly combine photonic and electronic technologies, as well as advances in photonic crystal structures in which the refractive index changes periodically. As a result, a new convergence of photonics and electronics is expected to emerge, along with ultra-low-power devices such as optical switches, lasers, memory, and random-access memory.

What’s more, high-bandwidth optical transmission systems can be driven by revolutionary multi-core fiber structures. These new fibers are expected to break a new record of 1 Pbit/s per fiber, unlocking completely new opportunities for products and services reliant on low latency and transmitting large volumes of data. The exploration of optical lattice clock networks may redefine the precision of timing in the telecommunications infrastructure as we know it.

Collaborative efforts to address telecommunications needs

As the industry aims to make the IOWN vision a reality, collaboration with experts across diverse research and technology fields is anticipated. Collaborative efforts with various companies and universities will facilitate work on all-photonic networks, which can become a transformative force in the evolution of telecommunications, addressing the ever-growing demand for fast and reliable connections.